Charles f



(NoModel.) v 2 sheets-sheet 1.

C. F. WURSTER. MACHINE FOR MAKING TIP CAPS POR UMBRELLA RIBS. No. 553,604.

Patented Jan. 28, 1896.

mm M l Attorney.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

o. F. WURSTER.'

MACHINE POR MAKING TIP GARS PoR UMBRBLLA Russ. No. 553,604. Patented Jan. 28, 1896.

l l I z l S?, l l :I4 I HI m Ll gw J Ml l Y O H o nz u y Q l -o C l O I L 8 N- aw mm J @l UNTTED STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

CHARLES F. VURSTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO Y JAMES IRVIN BARNI'IURST, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR MAKINGTlP-CAPS FOR UNIBRELLA-RIBS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,604, datedJanuaryA 28, 1896. Application filed February 24:, 1894. Serial No. 501,349. (No model.)

T all whom t may concer/t:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. VVURsTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Tip-Caps for Umbrella-Ribs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying 1 o drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to punching-machines, and more especially to that class of machines whereby tip-caps for umbrella-ribs are formed.

rIhe invention comprises, primarily, feed mechanism whereby a blank strip of metal is progressively conducted tothe dies; secondly, a take-up mechanism operating in concert with the feed mechanism to take up the punched-out or waste portion of the strip; thirdly, devices for preserving the alignment of the strip during its passage to the dies, and, finally, in various details of construction that will hereinafter appear.

. In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. l is a section on the line w w of Fig. l. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, enlarged, on the line 0c @c of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan of the die-block detached. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of said block enlarged. Fig. 4: is an end view of the feed devices. Fig. 5 is a section of one of the bearings of the shaft 2S. Fig. 6 is a view illustrating (a) a portion of the metallic strip preparatory to its being fed to the machine; (ZJ) a disk punched from said strip; (c) atip-cap formed from said disk, and (d) the punched strip'.

The numeral l represents the main supporting-frame, comprising a bed-plate 2, with legs or standards 3. Bolted to the bed-plate is the frame 4 of the punching mechanism, which mechanism is of usual constructionthat is to say, 5 is a vert-icallyreciprocative plunger fitted to suitable guides in the front of frame i and connected by means of a rod 0 and strap 7 with an eccentric S on an upper power-driven shaft 9.

is a hollow die secured to the lower end of the plunger, and 11 is a punch tted within said die so as to be reciprocative independently thereof. This punch depends from a bar l2 that is iitted within the plunger, the upper end of the bar rising above and being provided with a stud 13 that rests upon a plate 14 secured on the plunger. Projecting laterally from the eccentric is a tappet 15, that is adapted during the traverse of the eccentric to impinge-against the opposed end of the bar l2 and thereby forcibly depress the same. Immediately below the plunger is a block 1G, in which is supported directly below the die and punch a female die 17 of appropriate form, as shown.

rlhe metallic plate or strip from which the tip-caps are to be formed being placed upon the female die and the plunger descending, the projecting punch 1l impinges against the strip, which punch, being vertically movable independently of the plunger, rests idly upon the strip during the continued movement of the plunger, whereupon the die l0, coacting with the upper edge of the female die, cuts a disk (b) from the strip. This done, the tappet on the eccentric, during its revolution, strikes the upper end of the bar l2 and dcpresses it, the punch in its descent forcibly striking the cut out disk and driving it through the female die to impart to said disk the cap-like form desired. During the upward stroke of the plunger the plate 1i abuts against the stud on the bar l2 to retract the' bar and its punch.

In view of the fact that the construction and operation of the foregoing-outlined mechanism are well known, no further description thereof is thought necessary.

I shall now describe the means which I have devised to effect the automatic feeding of the strip to the dies, and 'to wind up the punched or waste portion of the strip as rapidly as it is produced, as follows:

1S 10 are two reels supported on a vertical post or standard 20 arranged beyond one end of the main supporting-frame. In the present instance the reels are mounted on laterally-projecting studs 2l of sleeves or collars 22, respectively, which are applied to the post, and are adjustably held in place by means of set-screws 23. The reels are provided with pulleys 24 25, respectively, which are geared by means of an endless band 2t, whereby if IOO one pullerv be rotated the motion will be trans- ,l

n'litted tlleretroln tothe other. 'llle pulley on the lower reel is preferably smaller than that ol the other reel, to thc end that said lower reel will be revolved nlore rapidlythan the upper reel 'or a purpose hereinafter appearing. (hl the bed-plate, at the elld farther t'ronl the post or standard 20, is secured a housing 27, ill the sides ot' which are jonrnaled t wo transverse parallel shal't's 9S 2t), arlanged one above the otller. (')n these shafts are tixed two rollers 30, the peripheries of which are preferably scored or otherwise ronghened and roll ill yielding contact, the bite tllereot' being ill lille witll the dies and the upper reel, or substantially so, The npper roller is maintained 'yieldingly upon the lower roller b v means ol rubber strips Sl, or other suitable material, interposed between the journal-boxes ot" the sha-ift and their respective caps 32. (See Fig. 'lhe shafts are provided with eoactin g gears .'33, whereby tlley sllall be rotated ill concert. On the upper sllat't, adjacent:I tothe roller thereon, is aratcllet-wheel 3l, with the teeth of which engage, a pawl $35. This pawl is pivoted to an arnl (5, which is, in turn, pivotally supported on the shaft 2S, a suitably-disposed spring 35 lnaintainillg the pawl yieldillgly engaged with the ratcl l et-wheel. rl`l le arln is eonll ected by means of a link iT with the shorterarln of a lever 3S that is fulerumed on the face ofthe Vtrame el, the longer arlll et this lever extendint,I in t'ront of the plunger and beyond the opposite end el said frame. Said longer arln is connected witll a bracket 3.() on the adjacent elld ot' the trame l by means of a spiral spring l0, the tendency of wllich is to draw down said arm and mailltain it in contact witll a stud ll on the tace et the plunger. ly this construction it will be seen tllat durillg the descent of the plunger the spring l0, d rawing down the longer arlll of the lever, will, through the illterlllediate connections, simply `retract the pawl S5 on the teetll ol` the rz'lltchet-wheel, alld that during the ascent of the plunger the stud ll, abutting against the lever-arm, will. raise the latter, and, perforce, project the pawl lol-ward. Thus the pawl acting against the opposed ratchet-teeth will lnove the wheel 3l elle step, and therewith the rollers 230 ill thedirections indicated by the arrows ill Fig. il. llence it' the upper reel be supplied with a strip of blank metal (o) and the t'rcc elld oi' the strip be drawn torward illto the bite ol the rollers, tllese rollers will intermittently n u wind the strip from the reel 1S, each nlovenflent thereolvl thus advancing a portion oi? the stl-ip between the dies, alld retracting that portion from wllicll the disks have been stamped.

'lhere is titled toa snitablyarranged lug li on one end. ot the iframe i a set-screw lf3, which extends into the path of the longer arm ol' the lever, to sel-ve as a stop to limit the downward movement of said arnl betere the punch acts upon the cut-out disk. ,ly tllis means during the llpward stroke of the plullger the lever 3S is not operated until said puncll is retracted from the lower die. lVere it not torthislost motion between the stud and the lever-arm, the strip would be drawn by the feed-rollers while the male die and puncll are engaged with the len'lale die, and thus injure the strip and parts of the maclline. \\'hen a sufficient length of the strip has been punched the l'rcc end is connected with the lower reel ltl, wllicll, rotating in. the direction indicated by the arrow, takes up the waste portion as rapidly as the caps are l'ornled. As this lower reel runs at a higher :rate ol' speed than the supply-reel above, it is obvious that the waste or cut-ont portion ot the strip will be kept taut, the band, of course, slipping on its pulleys from time to tinle.

ln order to insure the passage of the strip centrally to the dies, irrespective of irregnlari ties in the width ot' the strip, .l provide a s uitable centering deviee,which, in this instance, comprises a pair of hol-iZontally-disposed levers tl, pivoted to the die-block beyond the respective edges of the strip, the arms l5 ot th e levers bein g pivotally connected by lneans ot links etti with a eentrally-loeated lever 47 that is ill turn pivoted to said block, whereby the act et' moving said lever will correspondingly move the free ends of the levers rl; toward or from eacll otller. rllhc lever #i7 is held in a normally-eentral position by means ot' a spring etti secured thereto and to all arnl l!) on. the block, wllile the acting ends ot' the levers are equipped with beveled slloes 5t) that take against the opposed edges of the strip as the latter proceeds to the dies. llence said shoes will uniformly recede or advance to accommodate themselves to the width ot the strip, as it may vary, and thereby guide said strip centrally to the dies.

Setween the levers il, directly in advance of the shoes, are two vertically disposed screw et-pins 5l, between the opposed ends el which the strip travels, said pins thus preventing1 vertical dislillaeelnent of the stri p in respect to the shoes. As willbe observed, the upper pin is supported by an angle-piece 52, fastened te one side of the die-block, wllile the lower pin is applied directly to the block. On the t'ace of this block, beyond the centeril'lg-levers, is bolted a plat-e under which the strip passes on its way from the dies to the feed-rollers. The ,t'orward edge et' the plate is provided with a perforated lug fl, through which the upper die descends. The function of this plate is to preserve still more ellectually the alignment of the strip.

l claim my inventionl, The combination with co-acting dies and their supporting and operating parts, of all internlittei'lt strip-feeding device located beyond said dies, means for operating said device, and a strip-centering device adjacent to the dies, said centering device comprising the levers il., links-i6 and sprllig-controlled lever 47, substantially as described.

dies, and vertically-disposed guides between the arms of said centering device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. VURSTER.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES R. HARRIS, FRANK CRAVEN. 

